Howland has spent 10 years in Westwood, leading the Bruins to consecutive Final Fours in 2006, '07 and '08. Since reaching those three Final Fours, Howland's club has missed the NCAA Tournament twice and failed to reach the second weekend the other three years.

On Friday night, the Bruins were listless in losing to No. 11-seeded Minnesota 83-63, giving more ammunition to his critics.

"I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach at UCLA for 10 years and I will always be grateful to (athletics director) Dan Guerrero and Chancellors Block, Abrams and Carnesale for the opportunity to coach and teach our players and work alongside tremendous coaches," Howland said in a statement. "The UCLA community and fans have been unbelievable to my family and I, and it's been an honor and privilege to represent this great institution. I look forward to what comes next."

UCLA legend Bill Walton had been Howland's most vocal critic. On numerous occasions this season, Walton used an ESPN broadcast to call for Howland's firing. Howland, 55, said it was not any sort of battle of personalities between him and Walton; it's a matter of coaching style.

UCLA won the Pac-12 regular-season title this season but lost in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game to Oregon. And then the Bruins lost in their first NCAA Tournament game to finish the season 25-10.

"I want to thank Ben for all that he has done for UCLA in his ten seasons in Westwood," Guerrero said. "He embraced our tradition and culture and produced some terrific teams and coached a number of wonderful young men. We wish Ben and his family all the best as they move onto a new chapter in their lives."

Howland leaves UCLA with a 233-107 record, a .685 winning percentage. He had two years remaining on his contract with a $3.2 million buyout. Had UCLA waited until April 2 to fire him, his buyout would have jumped to $5.2 million.

Even though guard Shabazz Muhammad, named a second-team All-American by Sporting News, is expected to leave and be an NBA top-10 pick, the UCLA roster could be enticing should everyone else return. Point guard Larry Drew II is a senior, but he has a checkered past and might well be an addition by subtraction.

Howland was expecting to build next year's team around guards Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams and would have big men Tony Parker and the Wear twins to play supporting roles.

UCLA also has commitments from two top-60 recruits, guard Zach LaVine from Bothell, Wash., and guard Allerik Freeman from Henderson, Nev.